The dude running the place is super cool. Chill af. The whole inside of the place is candy for the…read moreeyes. Very Nostalgic feeling walking through. Handy with a decent amount of vintage things.

I have an 1899 Mason & Hamlin reed organ that has been in my family for generations. It was in…read morepretty dire condition, poorly stored, and unlikely to survive beyond me. I found Ragtime Southwest after I moved to Texas, and wanted to have the organ restored so I could surprise my dad when he came to visit. John Talbot picked up the organ and promised to make it beautiful and playable once again. He even remarked about it having nearly all of its parts, including a slat of matching wood used to hold down the music. He said most don't even have the music stand, much less that. Shortly after he picked up the organ, I located a Mason & Hamlin bench on eBay, and he came to pick it up to match it to the organ. What a lovely gesture. Right? Nearly a YEAR went by with my periodically asking about my organ and getting all manner of excuses as to why it wasn't done yet--it needed a lot of work, the materials were rare, the restorer was old and frail, and so on. When I finally got him to deliver it, it was late at night when I couldn't easily inspect it. When morning came, and and the room filled with sunlight, the finish on it was TERRIBLE! It was milky and puddled in all of the corners and crevices. The lid didn't line up with the locking mechanism, the one knee swell lock I had (I never had the other) was now missing. Several keys didn't work in certain voices, and that remarkably saved slat of wood hadn't come back with it. John Talbot apologized and said it was the work of an apprentice to his expert, while before he told me it hadn't been worked on because his expert couldn't. What he failed to consider in this grand lie was that it might have worked regarding the function of the organ, but the remedial nature of simple wood finishing. No. That's obvious. That's for idiots. He said he would come get it, they could fix it all, and it would be perfect. Another entire YEAR went by with constant inquiry, causing me endless concern that I would never see this sentimentally priceless organ again. Then, my father passed away unexpectedly--the reason I was doing this in the first place--so I called John and told him to just bring it back. Bring the damned thing back, everything was now pointless due to his relentlessly poor performance. Reassemble it regardless of its condition and me having prepaid TWO YEARS AGO and bring it back. He said he was sorry, they had JUST finished it, and he and was going to call me. Yeah, sure, a lot of comfort that is. When I got it back, the finish was much improved, and they even found the slat. But several keys still don't play, the swell lock is still missing, and the lid still doesn't line up so I can lock it. It was sloppy work from start to finish, with empty promises, and I wish I had never entrusted it to them. Definitely NOT worth the price I paid monetarily. The price for not being able to show my father after they had it for over TWO freakin' years is a price that cannot even be described. And yet, this man actually kept emailing me to provide reviews on various sites! Seriously? I have resisted until now, opting to follow the wisdom of "if you don't have anything nice to say..." As I moved back near my dad's hometown, and the origin of the organ, the memories surface again. If your player piano or organ means ANYTHING more to you than its basic appearance, find someone else to work on it. Do NOT let this man or his company touch it. EVER. Not for any reason.

I highly recommend Piano Forte. I picked this company based on their knowledge of pianos, and the…read morefact they move only pianos. Its a father/son family owned business. They are very responsive, and professional. I was out of state for work, and they were able to help me coordinate the move with the person I purchased the piano from and my nanny to have it delivered. I was kept informed on the progress of the move, even though I was out of town. They gave me information about the piano, and were well versed on pianos. It was very fair priced I felt. I highly recommend their service.

Alberto and his team seamlessly moved our Wurlitzer Spinet from one house to another. They arrived…read moreon time, they protected the floors and were very careful with the piano, and the team was professional and efficient. I called on a Friday and had the piano at my house the next day, all at a reasonable rate! Highly recommend.

Honestly sad to write a negative review as I go out of my way to support small businesses, and…read moreespecially women owned, but Nicole really dropped the ball. There was a surcharge for her to travel from San Antonio to Austin, which I was willing to pay to give her my business. The piano tuning itself was fine, but I had 3 broken strings that she took to be replaced. The kicker is that it she took the strings in September and it was mid-February that she finally scheduled to install the strings. I was always the one to try to make contact. She was a no-show for that appointment and then just ghosted me. I repeatedly reached out several times a week via text and phone calls, with no response and finally recommending that she just mail me my strings. Excuses were finally made and it was late March when I was told the truth of the situation. According to Nicole, the strings were lost between the supplier and her home. So why had she scheduled that February appointment? Why did she agree to mail the strings? She offered nothing to compensate me for my lost strings and complained that she was out the money to the supplier. Meanwhile I have to hire someone else to replace those strings at undoubtedly a greater cost to me. Overall, it was an extremely frustrating situation and unprofessionally handled on her part.

My piano sounds great now! Nicole answered messages quickly, was available for an appointment right…read moreaway, she came exactly on time, and did a nice job. She plays the piano herself and also writes her own songs. I really enjoyed working with her.

will use again. The technician was knowledgeable and charged reasonable fees with honest opinions.read more

It took 3 trips to bring this old piano back to life!! Mr. Hess was patient, knowledgable,…read morecourteous, honest and affordable. The piano required major overhaul, but it's playing almost as great as it did over 30 years ago! Highly recommended!

Wow! Best piano service around - sales and service are the best…read more5 stars A+++++ very responsive as well

From the owner: We are a family-owned and operated piano store with over 50 years of experience serving San Antonio…read moreand the surrounding areas with high-quality new and used pianos and reliable services. We specialize in piano sales, piano tuning, repairs, and restoration.

What an excellent service! knowledgeable person to provide honest information about my piano…read more Jim was punctual, thorough in tuning the piano, and was approachable when answering my questions about it. I intend to continue using them for our piano maintenance needs and highly recommend.

I've had 2 pianos tuned by Jim's Piano Service. Both times , a string broke and they did not have…read morethe replacement string with them. Seems odd to me. I would have thought that a piano tuner would have a replacement string in their vehicle. A piano string can't take up too much space in their vehicle. I called to schedule an appointment to have the string replaced. I was quoted $260 for a technician to come to my house to replace the string. I feel like the string breaking technique might have been a method this service used to book another appointment and get more money from the customer.

Mr. Shavney is a great man and piano tuner. He tuned my Philadelphia upright piano great. He was…read moretimely and fair price. Mr. Shavney has done work for family and friends for many years. He is friendly and great to talk to with years of various experiences. I will continue to use him for all my piano tuning needs.

I took piano lessons for 6 years and went from not being able to read or play to playing advanced…read morepieces like the heroic polonaise and variations on chopin's etudes. Mr Shavney will teach you a lot about life as well. He is a great at working around the piano even fixing them. Highly recommended!